Device for securing a head to a barrel



Oct. 23, 1934. H. C. W|| C0X 1,978,241

DEVICE FOR SECURING A HEAD TO A BARREL Filed oct. s, 1951 INVENTOR.

Patented Oct. 23, 1934 DEVICE FOR SECURING A HEAD TO A BARREL Harry C.Wilcox, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Pressed Steel Tank Company,Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application October 3, 1931,Serial No. 566,624

l 4 Claims.

This invention relates in general to metal containers or receptaclessuch as barrels and more particularly to improved means for releasablysecuring a head or closure in duid tight engagement with the barrel.

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide` adevice of this character which is readily and easily operable withoutthe use of any special tocls for the purpose of securing the head influid tight engagement with the barrel or for the purpose of releasingthe head for removal.

Another important advantage resides in the feature of having the deviceself-locking when it i5 is moved to the position in which it secures thehead in fluid tight engagement with the barrel. Other objects andadvantages reside in certain novel features of the construction,arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereniafter morefully described, and particularly pointed out. in the appended claims,reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of thisspecification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation showing a barrel having a removablehead equipped with a releasable securing means embodying the presentinvention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view in side elevation on an enlarged scalemore clearly illustrating the details of construction of the releasablesecuring means; l

Figure 3 is a view in horizontal section taken in the plane of line 3-3in Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows;` and Figures 4and 5 arefragmentary views in vertical section taken on lines 4-4 and5-5, respectively, of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates a metal receptacle orcontainer shown for the sake of illustration in the form' of a. barrel.

The upper end of the barrel is open and may be provided with a head orrim 2. A head 3 may be applied to the upper open end of the barrel toclose the same and has its peripheral portion in the form of a curvedflange-like structure 4 adapted to be seated on the bead 2 or on agasket (not shown) which may be provided on the bead. The head isfastened in position to close the open end of the barrel and to have itsflange 4 in fluid tight Contact with the bead 2 by means of acontractible metal clamping ring 5. As shown, the metal ring 5 is madeof channel form or concave on its inner side to fit over and engage withthe outer side of the ange v4 of the head-3 and the underside of the bed 2 to draw and hold these parts tightly together when the ring iscontracted thereon. I'his action of the ring is 'enhanced byconstructing the channel in the clamping ring so that it has outwardlyconverging opposing walls to engage with the bead or rim 2 of 60 thebarrel and the flange 4 of the head. 'I'he ring is made contractible bysplitting or severing it transversely and is sufiiciently resilient toadapt it to be contracted for securing the head in position and to beexpanded for removal. A

The ring is expanded and contracted by means of a specially constructedmanually operable toggle organized with the ring in a novel manner. Asillustrated, one end of the ring 5 has a lug 6 welded or otherwisesuitably secured thereto and projecting downwardly therefrom on theoutside of the barrel. A second lug 7 is secured to the ring 5 'adjacentits opposite end' and projects downwardly from the ring on the outsideof the barrel. The lug 6 is provided with an opening 75 through whichthe shank of a stud or screw 8 is adjustably fitted. A nut 9 isthreadedly engaged with an end of the shank of the screw which projectsbeyond the lug and abuts one side of the lug. By turning the nut thestud or screw 8 may 80 be adjusted. 'I'he head of the stud or screw ispivotally connected as at 10 to link members 11. Two link members 11 areprovided but they function as a single link. The opposite ends of thelink members from those connected to the stud or '85 screw 8 arepivotally connected as at 12 to an intermediate portion of a handle 13.The inner end of the handle 13 is fulcrumed or pivotally connected tothe lug 7 as indicated at 14. The free end of the handle 13 is oisetlasat 15 to 90 facilitate grasping thereof in the closed or locked positionof the parts. It will be noted from Figure 3 that the manually operabletoggle mechanism is so designed that in the position thereof where thetoggle contracts the ring to sechre the head to the barrel, the toggleis self-locking, that is to say, the line between the pivotalconnections or centers 10 and 12, lies inwardly of the fulcrum or center14 or between this fulcrum or center 14 and the barrel. The handle 13and link members 11 are of arcuate form and concentric with the barreland clamping ring in the closed or locked position of the device. Inthis way, a compact and practical 105 structure is had and the parts arelocated substantially within the lateral or peripheral confines of thering 5 and hence effecting protection thereby. 'Ihe lugs 6 and '7 havetheir portion which connects with the link member 11 and no handle 13offset inwardly under the clamping ring 5 for these purposes.

With the head applied to the barrel it may be secured in position bypositioning the ring in operative relation to ilange 4 and bead 2 whenthe ring is expanded and the toggle open. The handle 13 is then pushedinwardly toward the barrel. This causes the pivotal connection 12 toswing in such manner that it exerts a pull to the right, as viewed inFigure 3, on the link members 11, stud 8 and lug 6 and a thrust to theleft (Figure 3) on the lug 7 thereby contracting the ring 5 into secureengagement with the ange 4 and bead 2. As the lever 13 reaches the pointwhere the line between the centers 10 and 12 passes the center 14, thestrain exerted on the parts causes the handle and link 11 to snap intothe locked position shown in Figure 3. The ring 5 may be released andthe head removed by grasping the oilset portion 15 of the handle andpulling the handle away from the barrel which results, after the initialmovement of the handle, in the handle exerting a pull to the right onthe lug '7 (see Figure 3), and a thrust to the left of lug 6, as Viewedin Figure 3, thereby expanding the ring 5. The degree and eiectivenessof the locking action may be regulated by adjusting the nut 9. By havingthe toggle arrangement organized with lugs which are disposed on theoutside of the barrel, the toggle is easily accessible and readily andeasily manipulated. And further, it is self-locking in the securedposition of the ring 5, The structure is rugged and durable and while`easily manipulated is positive and secure in its locking action and safeagainst accidental disengagement or release, Although disposed on theoutside of the barrel, the device is effectively protected by theoverhanging structure of the barrel, bead and clamping ring (see Figures4 and 5) and is arranged so that any impacts or the like tend toincrease the locking effect rather than to release the device.

' In some instances it may be desirable to enhance the character of thefluid tight seal between the head and the barrel. This may beaccomplished by applying the clamping ring and bringing it into clampingengagement with the head and barrel in the manner above described. Afterthe toggle has assumed a locked position the nut 9 may be tightened up,that is to say, turned to pull the stud 8 to the left as viewed inFigure 3, with the result that the toggle is more positively urged toits locked position and the clamping action of the ring 5 increased.

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for securing a removable head to a barrel comprising a splitclamping ring, lugs secured to the ring at or adjacent the ends thereofand projecting downwardly on the outside of the barrel, said lugs havingportions offset inwardly beneath the ring, and a toggle including a linkpivotally connected to the offset portion of one of said lugs, a handlepivotally connected intermediate its ends to the link and permanentlyfulcrumed at one end to the offset portion of the other of said lugs,said handle swinging inwardly toward the barrel to close the toggle andcontract the ring whereby to secure the head to the barrel, said togglebeing self-locking in a position in which the ring is contracted andlying beneath the ring and substantially Within the lateral confinesthereof when in the locked position.

2. A device for securing a removable head to a barrel comprising a splitclamping ringengage able with the head and with the barrel, lugs securedto the ring at or adjacent its ends and projecting downwardlyA on theoutside of the barrel and having inwardly offsetl portions, a toggleincluding an arcuate link pivotally connected to the offset portion ofone of said lugs, and an arcuate handle permanently fulcrumed at one endto the oiset portion of the other of said lugs and pivotally connectedintermediate its ends to said link, said handle swinging inwardly towardthe barrel to close the toggle and contract the ring, said handle andsaid links lying within the lateral confines of the ring on the outsideof the barrel and in concentric relation thereto in the closed positionof the toggle.

3. A device for securing a removable head to a barrel comprising a splitclamping ring, engageable with the head and with the barrel, lugssecured to the ring at or adjacent its ends and projecting downwardly onthe outside of the barrel and having inwardly offset portions, a toggleincluding an arcuate link pivotally connected to the oiset portion ofone of said lugs, and an arcuate handle permanently fulcrumed at one endto the offset portion of the other of said lugs and pivotally connectedintermediate its ends to said link, said handle swinging inwardly towardthe barrel to close the toggle and contract the ring, said handle andsaid links lying within the lateral confines of the ring on the outsideof the barrel and in concentric relation thereto in the closed positionof the toggle, said parts being so designed that a line between thecenters of the pivotal connections between the link and lug and the linkand handle lies inwardly of the pivotal connection between the handleand the lug in the closed position of the toggle whereby said toggleis-selflocking.

4. A device for securing a closure to a barrel comprising a splitclamping ring engageable with the closure and with the barrel and amanually operable self-locking toggle mechanism for securing andreleasing said clamping ring, said toggle mechanism having as its partsa link pivoted to a portion of the ring on one side of the split thereofand a handle pivoted to a portion of the ring on the other side of thesplit and also pivoted to the link, the parts of said toggle mechanismbeing disposed on the outer lside of the barrel and beneath the ring,the connections between the parts of the toggle mechanism and the ringpermanently and operatively uniting the same into a unitary assembly inall positions and adjustments, said handle and said link swinginginwardly toward the barrel to close the toggle and contract the ringwhereby to secure the closure to the barrel, the parts of said togglebeing selflocking in a position in which the ring is contractedand lyingsubstantially within the lateral confines of the ring so as to beprotected thereby in the locking position of the mechanism.

HARRY C. WILCOX.

